Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson delights fans with her vivid style, even bolder smile, strength of character and deep and open love of her grandmother. Not to mention that she runs, as she puts it, “a little faster” than the rest of us. “Splendid” is the word that comes to mind.
So it was heartbreaking to see this young woman, so full of promise and personality, kept from competing in the Tokyo Games over the use of some marijuana, especially considering that she tested positive just a few days after learning — from a reporter — that her mother had died.
And this took place in Oregon, where marijuana use is legal under state law (if not under federal statutes).
That’s not to say the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which takes its rules from the World Anti-Doping Agency, was wrong to suspend Richardson for one month, the minimum discipline for such an infraction. The prohibition was clear. It’s just that the timing in this case was particularly heart-rending; if the drug had been found in Richardson’s blood a couple of months ago, she most likely would have made it to Tokyo. But Richardson isn’t playing the pity card.
“I want to take responsibility for my actions,” she told the “Today” show. “I know what I did and what I’m not supposed to do. I know what I’m not allowed to do, and I still made that decision.”
In saying so, she became an even more endearing figure. Imagine a celebrity accepting the consequences for making a mistake, instead of…
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Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson delights fans with her vivid style, even bolder smile, strength of character and deep and open love of her grandmother. Not to mention that she runs, as she puts it, “a little faster” than the rest of us. “Splendid” is the word that comes to mind.
So it was heartbreaking to see this young woman, so full of promise and personality, kept from competing in the Tokyo Games over the use of some marijuana, especially considering that she tested positive just a few days after learning — from a reporter — that her mother had died.
And this took place in Oregon, where marijuana use is legal under state law (if not under federal statutes).
That’s not to say the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which takes its rules from the World Anti-Doping Agency, was wrong to suspend Richardson for one month, the minimum discipline for such an infraction. The prohibition was clear. It’s just that the timing in this case was particularly heart-rending; if the drug had been found in Richardson’s blood a couple of months ago, she most likely would have made it to Tokyo. But Richardson isn’t playing the pity card.
“I want to take responsibility for my actions,” she told the “Today” show. “I know what I did and what I’m not supposed to do. I know what I’m not allowed to do, and I still made that decision.”
In saying so, she became an even more endearing figure. Imagine a celebrity accepting the consequences for making a mistake, instead of…